Taking their battle for the coveted overall victory at the Baja Inka 2017 to the line the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team saw Adrien Van Beveren secure a very close runner-up result, finishing just 20 seconds behind the eventual event winner. Collecting valuable data from their four-stage long adventure in Peru, the team are already looking forward to getting back to work in preparation for the big annual challenge, the Dakar Rally 2018.

Entering the fourth and final stage of the Baja Inka focused on the top step of the podium, Van Beveren suffered a small navigational mistake, which saw the Frenchman settle for second on stage four and also second in the event’s final standings. Wrapping up his 2017 international rally racing season with a positive outcome, the Frenchman is now eager to enter the final part of his preparation for the Dakar.

Unquestionably the most consistent rider in this year’s Baja Inka rally, Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team’s Xavier de Soultrait finished third in all four stages of the event outside Paracas. Securing fourth in the event’s final standings, the WR450F Rally powered rider demonstrated he is on top of his rally racing game at the moment.

Joining the team for the first time this season, Rodney Faggotter was faced with a mountain to climb after suffering a hand injury on stage two. Battling through pain, the highly-experienced Aussie racer managed to reach the finish of the 2017 Baja Inka inside the top 10 in the event’s final standings.

For Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team rookie Franco Caimi the 2017 Baja Inka brought mixed fortunes. Winning the opening stage in style, the young Argentinean was in contention for the overall victory but small mechanical issues didn’t let him show his full potential. Collecting valuable experience, Franco is eager to show more of his talent this coming January.

The Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team will return to action on January 6 to 20, 2018, with the coming Dakar Rally taking place in Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.

Adrien Van Beveren – Yamalube Yamaha Official Team rider

2nd Stage 4 / 2nd Overall

“It was a good day for me. I had my mind totally focused on getting the overall win and pushed really hard to make it happen. A small mistake in the special stage saw me ride an extra 800 metres to find the correct route and I think that must have cost me almost 40 seconds. Without that mistake, the overall win would be ours. As an athlete, I might always be pushing for the win, but a closer look at my performance here in Peru shows that we’ve made some big progress. My speed is good now and I can also navigate the hardest off-piste and dunes tracks. I’m really happy we decided to come here in Peru and race this event. As a team, we learned a lot and as for me personally I now have some extra motivation to get back home and continue the hard work for the coming Dakar.”

Xavier de Soultrait – Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team rider

3rd Stage 4 / 4th Overall

“I’m happy with my performance this weekend in Peru. I finished all four stages inside the top three to finally get fourth in the event’s final standings. For me this rally has been another important step towards our main goal, the Dakar Rally 2018. My results during the season have been showing that my speed is good and I can navigate without making mistakes. What I mostly take out of the Baja Inka is the fact that I got to open the tracks in the dunes for a big part of the last stages. It was good to discover this totally new terrain and learn how to tackle the massive dunes. I’m heading back to France now and after a short break I’m going to start my physical preparation for the Dakar. I’m also planning to race selected enduro events to better prepare my body and mind.”

Rodney Faggotter – Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team rider

13th Stage 4 / 11th Stage 3

“I guess it’s mission accomplished for me. Following my hand injury two days ago, I tried really hard to finish this event. My hand has been sore and there was a lot of pain, especially for the first part of each special. The Baja Inka has been a totally new experience for me and I’m glad I lived it through. We don’t have anything like these dunes back home in Australia, so it was key to come over here and get some practise ahead of the coming Dakar. We learned a lot and collected a bunch of info that we’re going to have to analyse in order to be ready next January.”

Franco Caimi  Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team rider

DNF Stage 4 / 2nd Stage 3

“Overall, this event has been a big learning experience for me. I might have been unable to finish the last stage of this rally, but we’ve learned much and improved. Today I had a mechanical issue that didn’t let me finish the stage. To be honest, I’m a bit disappointed the rally ended that way for me. Winning the opening stage, I immediately put myself in the fight for the overall victory here in Peru. My speed has been on point and I’ve also been improving a lot on my navigation skills. We still have a few months to go before the Dakar and my personal goal is to keep working hard to be 100% ready in January. I’m looking forward to going back home and starting my training for the upcoming Dakar.”

Alexandre Kowalski – Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team director

“Our major goal coming to Peru was to collect as much info as possible and allow our riders to gain some more racing miles in a demanding terrain. I can honestly say we’ve accomplished all of the above. Franco demonstrated his speed by winning the opening stage and as for Xavier and Adrien, they both showed that they can live up to the great challenge of opening the tracks without losing time to their main rivals. Rodney battled through his hand injury to reach the finish and to all of us this shows how much of a warrior he is. The spirit within the team is fantastic and we all work and battle for common goals. We have a few busy months ahead of us and we are all going to do our best to be fully prepared and competitive in the coming Dakar Rally.”

Yamaha Motor Europe is pleased to announce Tristan Charboneau and Nicholas Lapucci will join Roan van de Moosdijk on the ASTES4-TESAR Yamaha Official EMX250 team in 2018. The trio of promising young riders are set […]